Final Full Day in Krakow - Bugler and Castle Revisit

Today was our last full day in Krakow. It’s been a good week with plenty to see and do. The fact that the city is so walkable really helped—no chance of getting bored here. Just head out walking in a different direction and you’ll stumble across something new and worth seeing.

This morning we set out to tick off a few things still outstanding on our list.

The first was to see and hear the bugler play from the tallest tower of St. Mary’s Basilica in the main square. He plays on the hour, every hour, from four windows facing north, east, south and west. The bugle call is a reenactment of a historic event:

"Centuries ago, a watcher in the tower played the bugle call at sunrise and sunset, signaling the opening and closing of the city gates. Played at other times, the call served as a warning signal. In 1241, a Mongol army approached the gates. The watchful guard noticed the enemy and sounded the alarm in time for the townspeople to close the gates. The city was saved, but before he finished the melody, he was fatally struck by a Tartar arrow. To this day, the melody always breaks off mid-note where the brave watcher’s call once ended."

We arrived ten minutes before ten o’clock to make sure we didn’t miss it. The church bells chimed, then the bugler played. Luckily, he started at the window facing us. After playing, he gave a wave to the crowd, and everyone waved back. Then he moved to the next window and repeated the ritual.

With that ticked off, we walked to the Castle once again—this time determined to find a geocache that had eluded us before. In the first attempt we’d been on the wrong side of a locked gate. On the second attempt, the gate was open because people were heading through it for a concert, but a ticket checker was standing right beside where we needed to search, so we didn’t try. Today the gate was closed, but we were finally on the correct side, making for an easy search and find.

We also wandered into the Castle courtyard again, just to see it in slightly different sunlight.

Afterwards, it was a quick stop at the bakery down the street for bread and a pastry, followed by a late morning tea and then lunch.

The afternoon was spent looking at accommodation options and working on a video.

Oh, and Sarah’s hair turned out fine. Not perfect, but maybe an 8 out of 10 if you ask me. It’s not orange and hasn’t fallen out, so that’s got to be a win. Maybe I’ve discovered a new career option when we get home—but probably not! Anissa, don’t worry, this doesn’t mean Sarah won’t be wanting you to take over again once we’re back. I’m certain of that! 😂

Dinner was yet another kebab—YAK?—but this time from a different local spot. It was a completely different design and very nice. They used two tortillas and rather than rolling them they were wrapped in half and overlapping each other to fully enclose the meat and vegetables. A great idea.